I recently sat down with my podcast guest, Tremaine Wills who had a lot to say about purpose. Tremaine had vivid memories in her youth of being asked if she had money to go to McDonald's. For many, that would not have framed their path in life. But for Tremaine, it planted a seed of her wanting to learn how to make money.
By the age of 12, she was using her gifts and talents to make money and was already an entrepreneur. That mindset stayed with her through adulthood, but she not only wanted to change the trajectory of her life but the path of her community.
Just Because It’s Your Purpose, That Doesn’t Make it Easy
While Tremaine found that making money doing what she was good at was easy, what she hadn’t yet figured out was to take the money she had made to make more money. She would spend years learning how to do just that. In doing so, Tremaine did all the right things — she majored in finances and spent her college years enhancing her skill. That took her into the corporate finance world and the world of investing. She thought, surely, she could take this back to her community and change the world. But it wasn’t that easy. First of all, Tremaine didn’t see many people who looked like her in the finance community, and when she tried to take it back to her community, they didn’t receive it.
Tremaine wrestled with this for years. Even after she obtained her degrees and licenses, she began to struggle with impostor syndrome. She didn’t come from money, and the know-how with little personal experience left her feeling that she didn’t belong in the industry. She didn’t feel like an asset to her environment.
Driven To Change Communities
Tremaine knew the only way she was going to make a difference in her community was to meet them where they were and deal with some of those deep-rooted issues we had to overcome as a people. So, she started her own company, Mind Over Money, LLC, teaching personal finance. Even then, she was met with resistance. But her commitment to serve drove her to do what was needed for her community.
“Money is not everything; it’s just a tool, a resource that we use. But when we have control of that resource, we can change entire communities … so that those coming behind us don’t face the same struggles and they have access to more opportunity.” – Tremaine Wills
Tremaine leaned fully into her gifts and talents and committed to serving others, and the Greater Academy and Greater Elite programs were born. The Greater Academy and Greater Elite are programs that help everyday people get comfortable with investing and talking about taxes. According to Tremaine, most people feel that if they don’t make a certain amount of money, they’re not qualified to invest or make financial plans. Through these programs, she’s created a warm, safe space where people can learn and get access to a financial planner and do financial planning affordably.
Staying Grounded in Purpose
What should have been an easy road for Tremaine became more difficult than she could have ever imagined. She’s had a lot of challenges in her quest to better her community. But she remembered the words of a friend, “Choose your hard.” Things are going to be challenging no matter which way you go. Whether we continue to stay in a place we don’t like versus stepping out and trying something new, either way, will come with challenges.
So, Tremaine stayed on the path toward purpose and didn’t give up, and is now living her best life. As you strive to live your best life, here are some questions she suggests you ask yourself every day:
What are you doing?
Where are you going?
Why are you going there?
There’s a joy that resonates when every day you wake up pursuing something purposeful. There’s less dread and more excitement to continue going. That’s a fulfillment that will outlast happiness every time because you’re in alignment with what you should be doing.
Final Thoughts
If you’re struggling with finding your purpose, Tremaine suggests that you learn how to rest. Take time to sit with yourself rather than being busy all the time. When you’re busy you’re distracting yourself from what you really need to be doing. When you spend time with yourself, you’ll learn a lot about what you should be doing.
Take time by yourself and listen to the full episode of my discussion with Tremaine Wills. Don’t just listen and keep on with your life as usual, but take the time to really listen to discern your next steps to fulfill your purpose.
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